Alstom to acquire Nomad Digital

ALSTOM has signed a purchase agreement to acquire Nomad Digital, Britain, a supplier of passenger and fleet connectivity solutions.

The deal was reached with Nomad Holdings, which is held by Amadeus Capital Partners, SEB Venture Capital and Deutsche Telekom Strategic Investments, and other investors. Nomad, headquartered in Newcastle and founded in 2002, employs 230 people at 13 offices around the world and has a turnover of around £30m, serving more than 80 major rail operating companies in 40 countries.

Alstom says it expects the deal to close in early January 2017, at which point it will begin integrating Nomad Holdings into its own group. Nomad Digital will continue to operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary and retain its brand and independent identity within Alstom’s Digital Mobility sector. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Nomad Digital’s solutions include passenger Wi-Fi and information systems, onboard passenger portals, entertainment and media platforms. In addition, the company provides tele-maintenance solutions, including remote onboard condition monitoring, reliability-centred maintenance, driver assist and power-train products. With the ICT market forecasting double-digit growth in the next few years, Alstom says the acquisition will help it to realise its vision for the “digital train.”

“This acquisition illustrates our strategy to offer more and more tailor-made solutions to our customers,” says Mr Pascal Cléré, senior vice-president for Digital Mobility at Alstom. “We are very confident in the success of this new activity as Nomad Digital enables operators to significantly enhance the passenger experience. These new skills and technologies will enable us to accelerate the digitalisation of our offering.”

Alstom has worked with Nomad Digital on various projects, including installation of Wi-Fi on Coradia Continental trains in Germany and Pendolino sets for Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), and the rollout of remote condition monitoring on four X’Trapolis trains for Metro Trains Melbourne.